I lost track of the hours I spent lying on the bed staring up at the canopy. I couldn't hear anything outside of this room and the only window was covered by heavy curtains that obviously had a charm on them as they didn't open.
"Not like you to be in a room full of books and not be reading," Sirius' voice came from the end of the bed.
"I have no desire to know what may be contained in the books kept at this place," I mumbled to him. He chuckled and I felt the bed dip as he moved up and lay next to me. I turned my head to look at him as he was staring up at the canopy. He looked younger, his hair was shorter and his face fuller and more like the man I had married all those years ago. Before Azkaban, before any of this hell.
"What do I do now?" I asked him quietly, looking away from him and looking up at the canopy once again.
Sirius took in a deep breath and turned his head to look at me "What you've always done,"
"That is extremely unhelpful," I said grinning.
A loud crack came from beside the bed and my eyes flew open and I instantly sat up to spot Meepy carrying a tray of food and a bottle of what I could only assume was wine.
"Miss!" she squeaked.
"Meepy," I said, swinging my legs over the side of the bed "What are you doing here?"
The door burst open and I looked up to see my father enter the room.
"I asked you to drop the tray off and leave," He said as he looked down at Meepy. She froze in terror and he walked closer to her. "So leave the tray and go!" he shouted as she hurriedly did as she was told.
"I thought you might be hungry," my father said after Meepy had left.
"How thoughtful," I said sarcastically.
My father looked at me for a second, an odd expression on his face.
"I'm going to give you another chance to tell me where that Diadem is," He said, folding his arms across his chest.
"If I knew what you were talking about, I'm sure I would tell you." I said not meeting his eye.
"If there is one thing I didn't do, it was raise you to be a liar," he said.
I chuckled darkly. "One, you didn't raise me at all and two there were multiple things you didn't do."
"I don't think you quite grasp the seriousness of the situation you are in," he said sharply as he stepped closer to me and pointed a finger at me. "If you do not tell me what I need to know, the consequences will be severe for you. It will be out of my hands and I will not be able to help you."
"Help me?" I asked bemused "When have you ever helped me?"
I looked into his face and could see that he was trying hard to keep his temper.
"Last chance," he breathed.
I raised my eyebrows at him but said nothing. There were only a few moments in my life when I wasn't sure of something, but this was right up there on the list. The Diadem was important to Voldemort, that I knew. What I didn't know was why it was important to him (although I had my suspicions) yet something was telling me that I mustn't give up its location, at least not yet.
My father nodded slowly, glaring at me. "I thought you were smart," he said quietly.
"Better people than you have said worse," I muttered lying back down on the bed and resumed staring at the canopy.
"Okay then, don't come crying to me now that you've chosen this path," my father said slowly.
"Chosen?" I said lifting my head to look at him. "You're the one who took my wand and locked me up!"
"You think I have -" he stopped talking immediately and blinked once before he turned his back on me, flouncing out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
I threw my head back on the pillows and glared up at the canopy, before remembering the bottle Meepy had brought in. I sat up and reached to grab it from the tray she had placed on the chest at the foot of the bed.
I sat back with the bottle and uncorked it but before I could do anything else the door burst open once again, and in strode Bellatrix Lestrange. A potent hatred I had never felt in my life before flooded my body as I looked into her sunken eyes.
She was smiling malevolently at me and although I wasn't afraid of her, being without my wand unnerved me a lot.
"What do you want?" I asked, looking away from her and placed the bottle on the bedside table.
"You're coming to the meeting," she said looking at me from underneath her lashes.
"What meeting?" I asked, even though I knew this was obviously the one Voldemort mentioned.
Has it really been a day already? I wondered silently.
Bellatrix smiled horribly at me as she flicked her wand at me and a force like a punch hit my face, forcing my head to snap violently to the side.
"Get up!" She spat as I reluctantly turned to look at her.
She stared at me viciously as I sighed and jumped off of the bed, my cheek throbbing where she had hit me.
I was marched into the drawing room where Death Eaters were gathering and taking their places at the long dining table. Bellatrix pushed me into a seat at one end of the table and flicked her wand once again so that chains wrapped themselves tightly around my wrists fastening me to the chair.
"Really?" I asked tartly, looking up at her. She ignored me and strode off, taking her place next to Voldemort.
"Darling, what happened to your face?" My mother's whispered question came from my left and I turned my head to spot her and my father looking at me.
I gave my mother an appraising look but decided I did not want to engage her or my father in conversation, so I turned away from them and stared at the table until movement by the door caught my attention. I looked up as Severus and Yaxley lingered for a moment on the threshold. I could see them both looking up and I followed their gaze to the unconscious human figure hanging upside down over the table, revolving slowly as if suspended by an invisible rope.
No one else at the table appeared to look up at the body except for my cousin. Draco seemed unable to prevent himself from glancing upwards every minute or so.
"Yaxley. Snape," said Voldemort who was sitting at the other end of the head of the table. "You are very nearly late. Severus, here," he indicated the seat on his right. "Yaxley beside Dolohov."
They took their seats and I glued my gaze on Severus as Voldemort spoke to him first. I shifted slightly in my chair making the chains around my wrists make a soft clunking noise.
"Well?"
"My Lord, the Order of the Phoenix intends to move Harry Potter from his current place of safety on Saturday next, at nightfall."
I continued to stare at Severus, silently hating him but hating myself more for trusting him.
"Saturday … at nightfall," repeated Voldemort. His red eyes fastened upon Severus with such intensity that I noticed some of the people at the table looked away. I knew that Voldemort was using legilimency but Severus just looked calmly back into Voldemort's face and, after a moment or two, Voldemort smiled.
"Good. Very good. And this information comes –"
"From the source we discussed," said Severus. I briefly wondered who this 'source' was as Yaxley leaned forward to look at Voldemort.
"My Lord." Everyone's head turned in his direction. "I have heard differently. Dawlish, the Auror, let slip that Potter will not be moved until the night before the boy turns seventeen."
I flicked my eyes back at Severus who was smiling. How could he do this? I thought How could he want to give Harry, Lily's child, to Voldemort knowing he would kill him?
"There are plans to lay a false trail; this must be it. No doubt a Confundus Charm has been placed upon Dawlish. It would not be the first time, he is known to be susceptible."
"I assure you, my Lord, Dawlish seemed quite certain," said Yaxley. He looked rather desperately at Voldemort and looked as though he was refusing to look at Severus.
"Of course he is certain if he has been Confunded," said Severus. "The Auror Office will play no further part in the protection of Harry Potter. The Order believes that we have infiltrated the Ministry."
"The Order's got one thing right, then, eh?" said a squat man sitting a short distance from Yaxley. He gave a wheezing laugh which half the table joined in on. I noticed that Voldemort did not laugh.
"My Lord," Yaxley went on, the desperation in his voice clear now, "Dawlish believes an entire party of Aurors will be used to transfer the boy –"
Voldemort held up a hand and Yaxley fell silent at once, watching resentfully as Voldemort turned back to Severus.
"Where will they take the boy next?"
"At the home of someone in the Order" said Severus. "The place, according to the source, has been given every protection that the Order and Ministry together could provide. I think that there is little chance of taking him once he is there, my Lord, unless, of course, the Ministry has fallen before next Saturday, which might give us the opportunity to discover and undo enough of the enchantments to break through the rest." Severus glanced at me before looking at my father.
"Well, Max?" Voldemort called down the table, the firelight glinting strangely in his red eyes. "Will the Ministry have fallen by next Saturday?"
I turned to look at my father as all other heads along the table turned and he squared his shoulders, a haughty look on his face.
"My Lord, I have – with difficulty, and after great effort – succeeded in placing an Imperius Curse upon Pius Thicknesse."
Many of those sitting around my father looked impressed; Dolohov, went as far as to clap him on the back. My father turned to glare at him and Dolohov's hand left my father as though he had been burned.
"It is a start," said Voldemort. "But Thicknesse is only one man, Max. Scrimgeour must be surrounded by our people before I act. One failed attempt on the Minister's life will set me back a long way."
"Yes, of course my Lord, that is true – but you know, as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Thicknesse has regular contact not only with the Minister, but also with the Heads of all the other Ministry departments. It will, I think, be easy, now that we have such a high-ranking official under our control, to subjugate the others, and then they can all work together to bring Scrimgeour down."
"As long as our friend Thicknesse is not discovered before he has converted the rest," said Voldemort. "At any rate, it remains unlikely that the Ministry will be mine before next Saturday. If we cannot touch the boy at his destination, then it must be done while he travels."
"We are at an advantage there, my Lord," said Yaxley, who seemed determined to receive some portion of approval. "We now have several people planted within the Department of Magical Transport. If Potter Apparates or uses the Floo Network, we shall know immediately."
I scoffed and a few people turned in my direction. Even a five year old would know that the Order wouldn't be stupid enough to even think of using the Floo Network or Apparating.
"He will not do either," said Severus. I noticed his eyes flicking from me to address Yaxley. "The Order is eschewing any form of transport that is controlled or regulated by the Ministry; they mistrust everything to do with the place."
"All the better," said Voldemort. "He will have to move in the open. Easier to take, by far."
Voldemort looked up again at the slowly revolving body, "I shall attend to the boy in person. There have been too many mistakes where Harry Potter is concerned."
The company round the table watched Voldemort apprehensively. Voldemort, however, seemed to be speaking more to himself than to any of them, still addressing the unconscious body above him.
"I have been careless. But I know better now. I understand those things that I did not understand before. I must be the one to kill Harry Potter."
A sudden wail sounded, a terrible, drawn-out cry of misery and pain. It made me jump which in turn made the chains around my wrists clink. Looking around, I was not the only person startled.
"Wormtail," said Voldemort, without removing his eyes from the revolving body above, "have I not spoken to you about keeping our prisoner quiet?"
"Yes m – my Lord," gasped Peter, who had been sitting low in his chair. He scrambled from his seat and I glared at him as he scurried from the room.
"As I was saying," continued Voldemort, looking down at the table, "I understand better now. I shall need, for instance, to borrow a wand from one of you before I go to kill Potter."
He rose from his seat and glided along the table slowly, almost gracefully.
The Death Eaters along the table didn't even look at him when he went past them.
He got to the end of the table and went behind my chair still looking at his followers. I felt his cold long fingers skim my cheek as he walked back around. The repulsion I felt sent shivers down my neck and spine as I twisted my head away from him.
"No volunteers?" said Voldemort. "Let's see … Lucius, I see no reason for you to have a wand any more."
I saw my uncle look up at the sound of his name. He still looked as ill as the first night I saw him. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse.
"My Lord?"
"Your wand, Lucius. I require your wand."
"I …"
Uncle Lucius glanced sideways at Aunt Cissy who was staring straight ahead, but I saw her arm move to touch him under the table and at her touch, he put his hand into his robes, withdrew a wand and passed it to Voldemort. Voldemort held it up in front of his eyes, examining it closely.
"Elm," whispered Voldemort. "And the core?"
"Dragon – dragon heartstring." My uncle croaked.
"Good," said Voldemort. He drew out his own wand and compared the lengths.
Uncle Lucius made an involuntary movement as though he expected to receive Voldemort's wand in exchange for his own. The gesture was not missed by Voldemort, whose eyes widened maliciously.
"Give you my wand, Lucius? My wand?"
Some of the people around sniggered. Even I smirked, deciding that my Uncle deserved what he was receiving right now.
"I have given you your liberty, Lucius, is that not enough for you? But I have noticed that you and your family seem less than happy of late … what is it about my presence in your home that displeases you, Lucius?"
"Nothing – nothing, my Lord!"
"Such lies, Lucius …"
My gaze snapped to the other end of the table and watched as a huge snake emerged to climb slowly up Voldemort's chair and came to rest across his shoulders. Voldemort stroked its head absently, still looking at Lucius Malfoy.
"Then why do the Malfoys look so unhappy? Is my return not the very thing they professed to desire for so many years?"
"Of course, my Lord," said Uncle Lucius. His hand shook as he wiped sweat from his upper lip. "We did desire it – we do."
To his left, Aunt Cissy made an odd, stiff nod, her eyes averted from Voldemort. To his right, Draco glanced quickly at Voldemort and away again. He looked terrified to make eye contact.
"My Lord," said Bellatrix from halfway down the table, her voice constricted with emotion, "it is an honour to have you here, in our family's house. There can be no higher pleasure."
"No higher pleasure," repeated Voldemort, his head tilted a little to one side as he considered Bellatrix. "That means a great deal, Bella, from you."
Her face flooded with colour and her eyes welled with tears of delight. I rolled my eyes. It was beyond me how anyone could be as obsessed with Voldemort as Bellatrix was.
"My Lord knows I speak nothing but the truth!"
"No higher pleasure … even compared with the happy event that, I hear, has taken place in your family this week?"
She stared at him, her lips parted, evidently confused.
"I don't know what you mean, my Lord."
"I'm talking about your niece, Bellatrix. And yours, Lucius, Narcissa, Melina and Max. She has just married the werewolf, Remus Lupin. You must be so proud."
There was an eruption of jeering laughter from around the table. Many leaned forward to exchange gleeful looks; a few thumped the table with their fists.
My stomach turned as I heard Remus' name. Joy that he had finally married Dora but also an intense sadness that I hadn't been there for him. Bellatrix's face had turned an ugly, blotchy red.
"She is no niece of ours, my Lord," Bellatrix cried. "We – Narcissa and I – have never set eyes on our sister since she married the Mudblood. This brat has nothing to do with either of us, nor any beast she marries."
"What do you say, Meghana?" asked Voldemort, and though his voice was quiet, it carried clearly through the jeers. I remained silent, glaring at Voldemort "Remus Lupin was a friend of your late husband wasn't he? Will you babysit the cubs? Especially as you couldn't even bear your own child for long." The hilarity mounted. I swallowed, rage building in my chest, my eyes flicking to my mother who had her head bowed looking terrified. My father shifted slightly in his seat. He was not laughing but I still glared at him before turning my glare on Voldemort and remaining silent.
"Enough," said Voldemort, stroking the angry snake. "It is nothing more than what you deserve for turning your back on your own family and your own kind, Meghana." The laughter died at once and the power radiated off him. I forced myself to keep glaring at him as he turned to Bellatrix.
"Many of our oldest family trees become a little diseased over time," he said, as Bellatrix gazed at him. "You must prune yours, to keep it healthy. Cut away those parts that threaten the health of the rest."
"Yes, my Lord," whispered Bellatrix, and her eyes swam with tears of gratitude again. "At the first chance!"
"You shall have it," said Voldemort. "And we shall cut away the canker that infects us until only those of the true blood remain …"
Voldemort raised Lucius' wand, pointed it directly at the slowly revolving figure suspended over the table and gave it a tiny flick. The figure came to life with a groan and began to struggle against invisible bonds.
"Do you recognise our guest, Severus, Meghana?" asked Voldemort.
I looked at Severus who raised his eyes to the upside-down face. As the figure revolved to face the firelight I saw who it was and my heart skipped a beat.
It was Charity Burbage, who was the Muggle Studies teacher back at Hogwarts.
"Severus! Help me!" She said, in a cracked and terrified voice.
"Ah, yes," said Severus, as she turned slowly away again, revolving to face me, her terrified face sending a chill to my very core.
"Please," Charity begged as she looked at me, tears falling from her wide eyes. I looked back, although I couldn't quite meet her gaze.
What was there to be done? There was no way I could take on this entire table alone without a wand.
"And you, Draco?" asked Voldemort. Draco shook his head jerkily. Now that Charity had woken, he seemed unable to look at her any more.
"But you would not have taken her classes," said Voldemort looking at Draco curiously before he addressed the table. "For those of you who do not know, we are joined here tonight by Charity Burbage who, until recently, taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
There were small noises of comprehension around the table and a hunched woman I didn't know cackled. "Yes … Professor Burbage taught the children of witches and wizards all about Muggles … how they are not so different from us …"
One of the Death Eaters spat on the floor. Charity revolved to face Severus again.
"Severus … please … please …" gasped Charity and I looked at Severus again and this time he caught my gaze briefly but I could not comprehend his look.
"Silence," said Voldemort, he twitched Luicius' wand again, and Charity fell silent. "Not content with corrupting and polluting the minds of wizarding children, last week Professor Burbage wrote a defence of Mudbloods published in the Daily Prophet, saying wizards must accept these thieves of knowledge and magic … she would have us all mate with Muggles … or, no doubt, werewolves …"
Nobody laughed this time: there was no mistaking the anger and contempt in Voldemort's voice. For the third time, Charity revolved to face Severus. Tears were pouring from her eyes into her hair. I watched Severus look back at her, quite impassive, as she turned slowly away from him again.
"Avada Kedavra." Voldemort snarled with such hatred I could feel it.
The flash of green light illuminated every corner of the room. I closed my eyes as Charity fell, with a resounding crash onto the table. I opened my eyes to see Charity's body inches from where I was sitting and my heart broke slightly as the guilt crept through me. To think that only weeks ago I had dined with Charity at Hogwarts, conversed with her. Now her life was gone. As quick as if Voldemort had just clicked his fingers.
"Dinner, Nagini," said Voldemort softly, and the great snake slithered from his shoulders onto the polished wood towards Charity's body and I looked away once again but I couldn't block out the noise as the snake began to devour her.